Method of billing a communication session conducted over a computer network

ABSTRACT

A method of billing a communication session between a user and a value-added service. A request is received from a user for a communication session, such as a circuit-switched call, a computer-network telephony call or a multimedia session, between the user and a value-added service. Information associated with a credit account is requested before the user is connected to the value-added service. The information associated with the credit account, such as credit card information, debit card information or checking account information, is received in real time. Credit account information, which includes the received information associated with the credit account and a predetermined amount that is to be charged to the credit account, is communicated to a payment authorization database, which can be located locally or remotely. Alternatively, the credit account information includes the received information associated with the credit account and a predetermined amount that is to be set aside in the credit account for the communication session. Payment authorization information associated with the credit account is received from the remote site before the user is connected to the value-added service. The user is connected to the value-added service when the payment authorization information is affirmative. A total charge for the communication session that is based on an actual time that the user is connected to the value-added service is calculated when the communication session is terminated. Lastly, session charge information associated with the communication session is transmitted to the remote site when the communication session is terminated, the session charge information including information for charging the credit account an amount representing a charge for the communication session.

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/274,274, filed Oct. 17, 2002, which is acontinuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/495,924,filed Feb. 2, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,553,108, which is acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/432,809, filed Nov. 4, 1999, and now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/362,239, filed Jul. 28, 1999, and now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/280,862, filed Mar. 30, 1999, and now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/245,713, filed Feb. 8, 1999, and now abandoned; which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/039,335,filed Mar. 16, 1998, and now abandoned; which is a continuation-in-partof U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/757,563, filed Nov. 27, 1996, andnow U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,069; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 08/658,378, filed Jun. 5, 1996, now U.S.Pat. No. 5,802,156, each of which are incorporated by reference herein.The present application is also related to U.S. patent application Ser.Nos. 09/432,811, filed Nov. 4, 1999; 09/362,238, filed Jul. 28, 1999,and now abandoned; 09/280,863, filed Mar. 30, 1999, and now abandoned;09/245,713, filed Feb. 8, 1999, and now abandoned; 09/495,923, filedFeb. 2, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,276; 09/432,808, filed Nov. 4,1999, and now abandoned; 09/356,572, filed Jul. 19, 1999, and nowabandoned; 09/039,335, filed Mar. 16, 1998, and now abandoned;09/260,068, filed Mar. 2, 1999, now abandoned; 08/971,047, now U.S. Pat.No. 5,933,480; and pending U.S. application Ser. Nos. 10/422,751,10/422,757 and 10/422,758. Additionally, the present application claimsbenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/139,475,filed Jun. 17, 1999, which is incorporated by reference herein.

I. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A. Technical Field

The present invention relates to an efficient payment authorization andbilling arrangement for products, services and value-addedtelecommunication services purchased over a computer network, such asthe Internet. More particularly, the present invention relates to amethod for providing payment authorization and a billing arrangement fora call or a communication session to a value-added telecommunicationservice that is accessible over a telecommunications network or acomputer network, such as the Internet, and to session limiting,blocking, fraud control associated with such a communication session.The present invention also relates to a method for providing paymentauthorization and a billing arrangement for effecting a sale of goodsand/or services over a computer network, such as the Internet.

B. Description of the Related Arts

So-called psychic network services have been in operation for severalyears. A service representative, or agent, at such a service counsels acaller who has called on an 800 or 900 telephone number regarding life,love and prosperity. For a fee, the caller can ask any question of theservice representative and, generally, the service representative maycounsel to the caller regarding the question.

Presently, a caller to the Yellow Pages Psychic Network service dialsone of a plurality of telephone numbers that are used by the network fordetermining the advertising source from which the caller became aware ofthe psychic network service. Each respective telephone number connects acaller to the same service bureau where an automatic call distribution(ACD) system distributes calls among service representatives. The callerhears an announcement regarding costs and charges, referred to as apreamble, and is then offered a menu of choices. The caller is given achoice to hear brief resumes of the service representatives that arepresently available. When the caller decides on a specific psychic, thecaller may press the * button, for example, to reach that particularpsychic. When the caller already knows the extension number of a psychicthat the caller has used before, that particular telephone extension maybe entered. The caller controls the call, but can speak only to onepsychic during the call.

ACD telecommunications equipment is known for providing this and othertypes of telecommunications services. Common-controlled ACD equipment isavailable, for example, from Lucent Technologies, Inc. and othermanufacturers of common-controlled switching equipment. Typically, aservice bureau or related organization offers services through a servicebureau-owned ACD system. Such an ACD system directs a call from a callerrequesting service to a next available service representative listed ina service representative availability queue. It is always assumed thatone service representative responds to a call. Service representatives,typically equipped with displays and operator type headsets forhands-free operation, usually consult databases for, for example, makingtravel reservations. To this end, service representatives have access tolarge computer databases of travel reservation and billing information.

Billing arrangements for such service bureau organizations are primitiveand may rely on a 900 service for the service provider to bill thecaller for the service provided. For an 800 number call, the serviceprovider pays for the call and must insure that payment for the servicewill be received, even more so than for 900-based call. The serviceprovider records credit card or other payment data manually into amemory of a billing system for properly billing the call. Suchprocedures have led to many callers questioning their bills in manyinstances. Additionally, dishonest callers have received free callsusing fraudulent payment schemes, improper granting of credit and thelike because of inefficiencies associated with conventional billingprocedures.

One approach for overcoming these and other problems is provided by aservice offered by a company known as Mile High Psychics that usescredit cards for prepayment for blocks of service usage time. Creditauthorization is obtained well in advance of when service is provided.For example, the customer may purchase a block of 25 minutes of servicein advance of a call and utilize a personal identification number orcode (PIN) at the time of the call for accessing the service.

Another approach is presented by U.S. Pat. No. 5,475,740 to Biggs, Jr.,et al. which discloses a system connected to a central distributioncomputer that enables a user to access and pay for amenities using atelephone for entering amenity identification and billing information. Abilling database is connected to the central distribution computer forvalidating entered billing information.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,113 to Kight et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,829 toAnderson are both directed to a method for paying bills electronically.According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,113 to Kight et al., a computerizedpayment system is implemented by which a consumer may instruct a serviceprovider by telephone, computer terminal, or by using anothertelecommunications technique to pay various bills without the consumerbeing required to write a check for each bill. The service providercollects information from consumers, financial institutions andmerchants, and arranges payment to the merchants according to eachconsumer's specific instructions. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,829 toAnderson discloses an electronic bill payment system and method thatincludes billing equipment for creating approval records and generatingapproval numbers for each pre-authorized subscriber. The system alsoincludes an interactive payment approval apparatus into whichsubscribers dial for approving payment and which determines, based uponinformation collected, whether to initiate an electronic funds transfer.A series of security checks and comparisons are performed for guardingagainst accidental and malicious entry of approval numbers.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,850 to Masson et al. discloses an informationnetwork and method for providing a nationwide audio text network,including electronic billing, that is useful for a wide variety ofapplications. The system allows for interactive communication with acomputer that supplies the network information to a 1-800 caller. Thesystem is also capable of obtaining electronic credit card authorizationor charges, and controls routing an incoming call for redirecting thecall to a live operator or to other equipment, or to outgoing lines toany desired destination.

In another conventional system, credit cards are used for paying forservice representative calls. In this system, each time the callercalls, the caller's credit card account is accessed and a predeterminedcharge, such as 100 dollars, is authorized and set aside from thecaller's credit card available line of credit. The caller then speakswith a service representative. The actual cost of the call is determinedat the end of the call, and then transferred to the credit card companyin the normal course of business. The charge is then compared to theamount that has been set aside and the difference between the amountthat has been set aside and the actual cost of the call is returned tothe caller's available line of credit. Unfortunately for the caller,this process usually takes approximately 3 or 4 days. As a result, theportion of the caller's available line of credit that has been set asideis unavailable for other calls or purchases for the approximately 3 to 4days that it takes the credit card company to reconcile the authorizedamount and the actual amount of the call.

Additionally, there is a growing need for providing a billingarrangement for effecting a sale of an item or a service occurring overa computer network. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,724,424 to Gifforddiscloses a network sales system that allows a user to purchase goods orinformation over a computer network, such as the Internet. According toGifford, the network sales system includes a plurality of buyercomputers, a plurality of merchant computers and a payment computer thatare interconnected by the computer network. A user at a buyer computerpurchases a product and the buyer computer sends a purchase message to amerchant computer. The merchant computer constructs a payment order thatit sends to the payment computer. The payment computer authorizes thepurchase and sends an authorization message to the merchant computer.When the merchant computer receives the authorization message, productis sent to the buyer computer. Alternatively, the buyer computer cansend a payment order directly to the payment computer, which, in turn,sends an authorization message back to the buyer computer that includesan unforgeable certificate indicating that the order is valid. The buyercomputer then constructs a purchase message that is sent to the merchantcomputer. When the merchant computer receives the purchase request, theproduct is sent to the buyer computer based on the pre-authorizedpayment order.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,314 to Payne et al. discloses a similarnetwork-based sales system that includes at least one buyer computer, atleast one merchant computer and at least one payment computer that areinterconnected by a computer network, such as the Internet. According toPayne et al., a merchant computer can respond to payment orders from abuyer computer without the merchant computer having to communicatedirectly with the payment computer for ensuring that the user isauthorized to purchase the product and without the merchant computerhaving to store information in a database regarding which buyers areauthorized to purchase which products. When the merchant computerreceives an access message from the buyer computer identifying a productto be purchased, the merchant computer need only check the accessmessage for ensuring that the access message was created by the paymentcomputer, thereby establishing that the buyer is authorized to purchasethe product.

Despite these conventional billing arrangements for voice-basedtelephony services over a circuit-switched telecommunications networkand for products and services purchased over a computer network, such asthe Internet, there is a need for an efficient payment authorization andbilling arrangement for products, services and telephony-based servicespurchased over a computer network.

II. SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention provides an efficient payment authorization and abilling arrangement for a communication session between a user and avalue-added service that is accessible over a circuit-switchedtelecommunications network and a packet-switched telecommunicationsnetwork, such as the Internet, and to session limiting, blocking, fraudcontrol associated with such a communication session. The presentinvention also provides an efficient payment authorization and billingarrangement for products and services purchased over a computer network,such as the Internet, and to purchase limiting, blocking, fraud controlassociated with such a purchase.

The advantages of the present invention are provided by a method ofbilling a communication session between a user and a value-added servicein which a request is received from a user for a communication sessionbetween the user and the value-added service. Information associatedwith a credit account is requested before the user is connected to thevalue-added service, and the information associated with the creditaccount is received in real time. According to the invention, theinformation associated with the credit account can be credit cardinformation, debit card information, checking account information,electronic funds transfer information, a telephone number, a cabletelevision account, a utility service account, or an Internet serviceprovider account. Credit account information is communicated to apayment authorization database, which can be located locally orremotely. When the credit account information relates to, for example, acredit card, the credit account information includes the receivedinformation associated with the credit account and a predeterminedamount that is to be set aside in the credit account. Alternatively, thecredit account information includes the received information associatedwith the credit account and a predetermined amount that is to be chargedto the credit account. Payment authorization information associated withthe credit account is received from the payment authorization databasebefore the user is connected to the value-added service, and the user isconnected to the value-added service when the payment authorizationinformation is affirmative. A total charge for the communication sessionis calculated when the communication session is terminated based on anactual time that the user is connected to the value-added service.Preferably, the charge for the communication session is based on a perminute rate. Session charge information associated with thecommunication session is transmitted to the payment authorizationdatabase when the communication session is terminated. Accordingly, thesession charge information includes information for charging the creditaccount an amount representing a charge for the communication session.

According to one aspect of the invention, when the credit accountinformation relates to, for example, a credit card, the credit accountinformation includes an authorization of a predetermined amount, and thesession charge information includes information for reversing theauthorization of the predetermined amount and for reauthorizing thecredit account the amount representing the charge for the communicationsession. Alternatively, the session charge information is a creditrepresenting an amount that is the predetermined amount minus the amountrepresenting the charge for the communication session.

The present invention also provides a method for controllingcommunication session access to a value-added service in which a requestis received from a user for a communication session, such as acomputer-network telephony call or a multi-media communication session,between the user and the value-added service. Information associatedwith the user is also received, and a database is accessed. The receivedinformation associated with the user is compared with information storedin the database, and the user is connected to the value-added servicewhen the received information associated with the user passes thecomparison with the information stored in the database. Thecommunication session can be blocked or limited based on differentcriteria, such as a frequency of communication sessions from the userduring a predetermined period of time, a predetermined time of day thata request is received, an amount of money spent by the user during apredetermined period of time, a length of communication sessions duringa predetermined period of time, an identity of the user, acomputer-network address of the user, credit account information of theuser, personal information of the user, and/or a user billing address.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method ofeffecting a sale over a computer network in which it is determinedwhether a user passes fraud control before effecting a sale over acomputer network. Information associated with a method of payment, suchas credit card information, debit card information, checking accountinformation, a telephone service account, a cable television account, autility service account, or an Internet service provider account, isrequested from the user after the user passes the fraud control.Information associated with the method of payment is received from theuser in real time. Method-of-payment information is communicated to apayment authorization database, which can be located locally orremotely. The method-of-payment information includes the receivedinformation associated with the method of payment. Payment authorizationinformation associated with the method of payment is received from thepayment authorization database. A sale transaction is completed when thepayment authorization information is affirmative. Sale chargeinformation associated with the sale effected over the computer networkis transmitted to the payment authorization database when the saletransaction is complete. The sale charge information includesinformation for charging the method of payment an amount representing acharge for the sale.

According to one aspect of this embodiment of the present invention,whether a user passes fraud control is based on computer-network addressinformation associated with the user that is received from the computernetwork and computer-network address information that is received fromthe user. The computer-network address information received from thecomputer network is compared to the computer-network address informationreceived from the user before the information associated with the methodof payment is requested. According to another aspect of this embodimentof the present invention, whether a user passes fraud control isdetermined based on received information associated with the user. Adatabase is accessed, and the received information associated with theuser is compared with information stored in the database beforeinformation associated with the method of payment is requested from theuser. The method also provides that information associated with the useris compared with information stored in the database before determiningwhether to block, limit or complete the sale transaction. The receivedinformation can include an identity of the user, a frequency of sales tothe user during a predetermined period of time, an amount of money spentby the user during a predetermined period of time, a computer-networkaddress for the user, credit account information associated with theuser, a billing address, and/or personal information of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram for an automatic calldistribution system that is programmed to operate according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the sequence of operations for logging aservice representative into a service representative availability queueaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart for processing a call received from acircuit-switched telecommunications network or by way ofcomputer-network telephony over a packet-switched computer network, suchas the Internet, for a value-added service, such as for a servicerepresentative, according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for a real-time billing system forcircuit-switched and packet-switched calls in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of a system for billing acommunication session conducted over a computer network, such as theInternet, according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart for a communication for actuating and enteringa service representative into a service representative availabilityqueue a computer network according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart for processing a service representativecommunication session to a service bureau over a computer networkaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram for a real-time billing system for a billingcommunication session occurring over a computer network according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram for a real-time billing system for effectinga sale over a computer network according to the present invention; and

FIGS. 10 a-10 c show a flow diagram summarizing the real-time billingand fraud control system of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram for an automatic calldistribution (ACD) system that is programmed to operate according to thepresent invention. An exemplary ACD system that is suitable for thepresent invention is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,156 to Felger,which is incorporated by reference herein. An ACD system providesswitched network access to a plurality of service representatives oragents. Such ACD systems may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, butaccording to the present invention, such an ACD system operates undercommon-control of a controller 110. The ACD system of FIG. 1 includes aswitch 100 that is connected to a plurality of service representatives,or agents, that operate from service representative positions 101-1through 102-n. ACD 100 redirects calls (circuit-switched voice and data)to any of service representative positions 101-1 through 102-n.

A service representative position, such as position 101-1, can include aremote dial-up terminal 101 a that has a caller identification display101 b. Alternatively, a service representative position can be aconventional service representative position, such as position 101-2,that includes such equipment (not shown) as an operator headset, acathode ray tube display, a computer system and automatic numberidentification/name display. Accordingly, such a service representativeposition operates as an extension line for the ACD system. As yetanother alternative, a service representative position may include anintelligent telephone terminal, a personal computer or other intelligentterminal known in the art (not shown).

A service representative at a service representative position indicatesavailability for providing service to callers by performing a log-inprocedure, such as that shown by the flowchart of FIG. 2, which will befurther described herein. A caller requesting service is handledaccording to the flowchart of FIG. 3, which will also be furtherdescribed herein.

A plurality of service circuits and devices are connected to switch 100that provide various signaling, data input, data output, conferencingand other services. Such service circuits and devices include, but arenot limited to, a dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) receiver and decoder120, an automatic number identification (ANI), a dialed numberidentification (DNI) circuitry 125, an audio response (message) unit135, a conference bridge circuit 130 and a modulator/demodulatorcircuitry (MODEM) 140. One or more of each type of these servicecircuits and devices are typically provided, with the number dependingon their respective frequency of use.

Each service circuit or device is called into play by controller 110 inaccordance with call processing and control programs stored in a memory115. One control program residing in memory 115 is a real time of day,day, month and year clock that is accurately maintained by, for example,periodic satellite update and must be preserved even in the event of alocal power loss to the system. Another program is a translation programthat may be needed for translating a called telephone number to anadvertising source or for translating an extension number of a servicerepresentative to a remote telephone number for remote dialing, whenrequired.

DTMF receiver and decoder 120 is especially important for receivinginformation, such as zip code, address, credit card number, bank accountnumber, name input, command and signals for the system of the presentinvention for caller control and system control to the extent of atleast providing service, call blocking, call limiting, fraud control andpayment and billing features. Audio response (message) unit 135preferably includes an audible announcement capability for querying acaller and a connection to DTMF receiver/decoder 120 for receiving anddecoding input data entered via a telephone keypad in response to anannouncement query. Alternatively, DTMF receiver/decoder 120 and otherinput circuits may be replaced by speech recognition and other automaticinput devices. Modem 140 automatically forwards form-of-payment data toa credit agency or bank under control of controller 110, and receivesauthorization in real time for a payment or a charge to an account.Modem 140 may comprise a network data mover (NDM) modem or a remote jobentry (RJE) modem. Once a call to a service representative isterminated, modem 140 communicates call charge information to aremotely-located billing agency (not shown).

Callers call on lines 110-1 and 110-2, which are representative oflines/trunks connecting ACD 100 to a telephone switching center. Anumber of different telephone numbers identified to the lines/trunks ata telephone central office (not shown) may be used for identifying thesource of advertising or other source by which a caller learned of theexistence of the call-in service. Typically, signaling information isprovided in advance of a call on the same or a different line. Thesignaling information includes the address of the calling party and mayalso include the called address. A dialed numberidentification/automatic number identification (ANI/DNI) unit 125identifies the dialed number for determining, for example, the source bywhich a caller learned of the service. ANI/DNI unit 125 also indicatesthe calling telephone number for subsequent comparison with a telephonenumber entered through a telephone keypad by the caller in response to arequest generated by audio response (message) unit 135 once the call hasbegun or for comparison with negative databases, as will be furtherdescribed herein.

Briefly and according to one embodiment of the present invention, atoll, an 800 or 900 telephone number or an Internet address may be usedfor connecting a new caller to a single service representative in anavailable service representative at, for example, a psychic networkservice. A second telephone number or Internet address may be used foridentifying a psychic twins service, such that two servicerepresentatives are connected simultaneously to a caller through a dualrepresentative service representative availability queue. A third numberor Internet address is used for a three service representative call, andso on. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a caller ishandled according to a call processing algorithm shown in FIG. 3, whichis described subsequently herein.

Conference bridge 130 may include automatic dialing equipment fordialing a telephone number for a service representative. Alternatively,automatic dialing circuits (not shown) may be separately provided. Ofcourse, in accordance with the present invention, a plurality of servicerepresentatives are simultaneously connected to a caller desiring suchservice and automatic dialing circuits may or may not be needed in aparticular conference call, depending on whether the servicerepresentative is directly connected to ACD 100 as an extension or mustbe “dialed-up.” Ringing circuits (not shown) transmit ringing signalstoward a service representative, but according to the present invention,audible ringing is not provided the caller. The service representativeis connected at the time the service representative goes off-hook.

The concepts of the present invention are fully applicable to all formsof telephony, whether circuit-switched based telephony orcomputer-network telephony, such as packet-switched telephony. Forexample, a typical router connected to a computer network, such as theInternet, can handle packetized telephony data in a manner similar tohow the ACD system shown in FIG. 1 handles circuit-switched telephony.Just as an ACD system provides circuit-switched network access to aplurality of service representatives or agents, a router providespacket-switched network access to a plurality of computer networkaddresses. The router redirects Internet-type telephony andcommunication session data packets to service representative positionsin a well-known manner. In that regard, an Internet address may be usedfor connecting a computer-network telephony caller to a single servicerepresentative in an available service representative at, for example, apsychic network service. A second Internet address may be used foridentifying a psychic twins service, such that two servicerepresentatives are connected simultaneously to a caller through a dualrepresentative service representative availability queue. A thirdInternet address is used for a three service representative call, and soon. For a computer-network based embodiment of the invention, a servicerepresentative position is preferably an intelligent telephone terminal,a personal computer or other intelligent terminal known in the art.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the sequence of operations controlled bycontroller 110 when actuating and entering a service representative intoa service representative availability queue according to the presentinvention. The overall procedure of FIG. 2 is performed whether theservice representative is accessing the service bureau through acircuit-switched telecommunications network or by way of packet-switchedtelephony. At step 200, a service representative calls the servicebureau and indicates the availability of a service representative forproviding service. Of course, when the service representative isdirectly connected to switch 100, such as by a private dedicated line,the calling service representative may need only to merely pick up thephone or log on, respectively. Whether or not the calling servicerepresentative is connected via a dedicated line, the extension ortelephone number is automatically recognized by controller 110, forexample, through automatic number identification circuit 125. In apacketized telephony-based embodiment, the Internet address or log-ondata of the service representative may be compared against a databasefor determining service representative identity.

An audio response unit 135 is connected to the service representative atstep 210. Typically, the time of day and date is recorded in memory 115via controller 110 recording the time and date that the servicerepresentative has offered to begin servicing callers. The servicerepresentative receives a programmed announcement at step 210 queryingthe service representative to identify certain choices and preferencesfor recording in memory 115. For example, a pair of psychic twins mayprefer to offer services together to a caller. That is, a servicerepresentative A may request to only be connected in a psychicdual-conferencing call with a specific psychic twin servicerepresentative B. Other preferences may be predetermined or entered forthe first time, such as the service representative's name, address,billing rate, Zodiac birth sign and/or other information, preferablyautomatically via a telephone keypad or via speech recognition. Inanother embodiment involving computer service assistance, a servicerepresentative may specify expertise in hardware matters and anotherservice representative may specify expertise in software matters.

In an alternative embodiment or in a packetized telephony-basedembodiment, the service representative is equipped with a cathode rayterminal, a printer or other display and a full keyboard permitting awritten query and response and so the “announcement” of step 210 may bea written or a displayed announcement. In a preferred embodiment,however, an exemplary announcement or instructional display provided byeither embodiment may include: “Press 1 if you wish to serve one call ata time by yourself. Press 2 if you wish to confer with a second confereeon each incoming call. Press 3 if you wish to confer with two otherconferees on each incoming call requesting service. . . . . ” and so on.When the service representative has a computer mouse, the mouse may beused to input selection criteria.

Flow continues to step 220 where a preference selection is made. Steps210 and 220 are repeated until log-in is complete. Once the responses tothe queries of step 210 are registered by DTMF or other data receiver120 and reported to controller 110, ARU 135 may provide a validity checkfor the entered data and provide audible feedback for selections. Then,ARU 135 may further request, “Do you have a preference for the secondconferee? If so, enter by pressing keys of the keypad the first severalletters of the preferred conferee's last name.” Of course, a psychictwill would enter their own last name and their twin could beimmediately identified via a memory look-up in memory 115. Audible orvisual confirmation/feedback that the choice has been accepted may beprovided, in additional to error algorithms can be provided, asnecessary for correcting an erroneous choice made by a servicerepresentative.

In the log-in process of FIG. 2, the various announcements and responsesof steps 210 and 220 can be varied depending on the desired service tobe performed. Moreover, the result may vary. In one scenario, there maybe an availability queue of available service representatives willing toconfer with a caller individually or with other conferees. In otherwords, the service representative may be willing to accept any requestfor services. In other embodiments, there may be availability queuesformed in memory 115 for individual service representative calls, dualor twins calls, triplets or three service representative calls and soon. Or there may be a combination of such queues depending on theembodiment. Consequently, in its simplest embodiment the presentinvention involves the service representative logging in to a dualservice representative availability queue so that upon receiving a callto a special dual service representative telephone number, the next twoservice representatives that are available in the dual servicerepresentative availability queue are automatically and connectedpractically simultaneously to the caller.

The result of the log-in process is shown as step 230, that is, theservice representative is entered into memory 115 in one or more servicerepresentative availability queues as a memory table. Of course, when aservice representative takes a call and is connected with a caller (andmaybe one or more other service representative conferees), theappropriate availability table in memory 115 records a “busy” status forthe service representative, as signaled by controller 110. Moreover, theservice representative has recorded the preferred type of call that theservice representative is willing to accept (for example, individually,with another service representative conferee, and the like) and certainother preferences, such as their own Zodiac sign, the day, month, yearof birth, gender or other information that is useful for arranging acall. Some or all of this information may be preserved in memory 115depending on the service offered. Over time, information such as thenumber, type, caller identities, caller preferences and the like ofcalls handled by each respective service representative may be recordedin memory 115 and associated with the service representative forassisting in providing better caller service, and for providing salaryor other compensation to the service representatives.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart for processing a call received from acircuit-switched telecommunications network or from a packet-switchedcomputer network, such as the Internet, for a service representativeaccording to the present invention. A caller may define certainparameters for the ACD (Internet router) system of FIG. 1 to follow whenconnecting the caller to at least one service representative. At step305, a caller to the psychic network service calls an 800 or a 900telephone number for the service bureau on line 110-1 or series oftrunks 110-1 and 110-2, or accesses the service bureau using an Internetaddress. A second line or Internet address or a series of trunks orInternet addresses may be separately provided for a twins service. Insuch an instance, the caller may be immediately passed to step 320 andthe input data registered including, but not limited to, the callingtelephone number, address and billing information of the caller, orInternet address of the caller.

According to the present invention, call limiting, call blocking andfraud control checking is performed automatically at this stage. Forexample, call limiting criteria may be established for protectingcallers against excess usage and billing, such as a predetermined numberof calls per day, a predetermined number of call minutes per day, weekor month, a predetermined time period or slot, such as between 8:00 a.m.and 9:00 p.m., and/or an amount of money spent by a caller during apredetermined period of time. A caller is queried in a database fordetermining how frequently the caller calls, whether there is a timeslot constraint for the caller and, for each respective call, how longthe caller was connected for determining whether any individual orcombination of the call limiting criteria have been exceeded. When anycall limiting criteria has been exceeded, the caller may receive amessage thanking the caller for their previous calls, and possiblyblocking or limiting the duration of the present call.

Regarding call blocking based on input data and certain negativedatabases, the calling telephone number (or Internet address), the firstseveral digits of the address or apartment number and/or the zip code ofthe caller that have been entered by way of a telephone keypad may bematched against the calling telephone number (obtained via ANI), theoriginating Internet address (obtained via packetized data) and/orcredit card data so that a security breach is pre-identified. Thecomparison of the user-entered first several digits of a street addressor apartment number and/or zip code against credit card data downloadedor prestored from a credit agency or a bank is referred to herein as anaddress verification system (AVS). The caller may be asked to explainany discrepancy and/or the call is blocked. The calling telephonenumbers (obtained via ANI and by caller entry) or Internet addresses(obtained via packetized data and by caller entry) can be checkedagainst each other and against telephone number/Internet addressnegative databases that identify pay phones, prisons, schools, selectedcommercial establishments, and other institutions or locations oftelephones or Internet access devices from which calls may be blocked atswitch (router) 100.

A voiceprint of the caller's voice may be recorded via message unit 135and converted to digital form for comparison against a voiceprintdatabase for insuring the validity of the identity of the caller. Thecaller's name may be spelled into the system via a telephone orintelligent terminal keypad, and compared against a card-holder oraccount name as a security check. When the caller is making apacket-switched call, a voiceprint, a fingerprint image and/or aportrait image can be used for insuring the validity of the identity ofthe caller. At least, via AVS, the address of the caller, entered bytelephone keypad, can be matched against the address of the card holderor on an account that is pre-stored and downloaded from a credit agencyor a bank. In an alternative embodiment, a non-service representativemay assist, supplement or replace an automated system regarding calllimiting, call blocking, fraud control, collecting form of paymentinformation and obtaining payment authorization.

At step 325, the caller is identified to be served by at least oneservice representative and at step 330 immediately connected to anidentified service representative listed in the availability queue ofservice. Once it has been determined that call blocking, call limitingand fraud control criteria have not been exceeded, a caller isimmediately connected and served by at least one service representativelisted in the service representative availability queue.

In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, steps 310and 315 performed repeatedly in a manner that is similar to the way theservice representative logs in, as per FIG. 2, until the caller logs in.For example, at step 310, an announcement is played welcoming the callerto the service bureau, such as to a psychic network service. When theservice representative queue is relatively full, the announcement canindicate that the caller's call is important and connection to a servicerepresentative be momentarily delayed. Based on controller calculatedaverage call durations and other queuing theory calculations, controller110 may even indicate an expected waiting time for the caller and, inthe meanwhile, will begin to record certain service and servicerepresentative preference information.

While the caller is waiting for a service representative, the caller maybe provided with their horoscope or other information of interest to thecaller until a service representative is available to conduct a sessionwith the caller. For example, a caller may enter the month, day and yearof birth, their gender and service preference (such as one or moreservice representative conferees). This information may be used forproviding a personalized horoscope or other information that may be ofinterest to the caller while the caller is waiting for a servicerepresentative.

As steps 310 and 315 are repeated, controller 100 variously calls intoplay ARU 135, ANI 125 and DTMF receiver/decoder 120, as necessary.Controller 100 may query a database for determining billingarrangements, among other things, such as whether the caller has usedthe service before, how the caller has paid in the past, whatpreferences and data was accumulated at that time, and bring such datathat is useful for this call to active memory.

Once the call has been accepted and the caller has logged in, thecaller's input data is registered into active memory 115 at step 320.The registered data may include, among other things, the caller's name,address, zip code, telephone number, credit card type and number, bankname and account number and billing data, service preference, and datathat may be used for matching the caller with service representativedata. For example, the caller's sign of the Zodiac, determined from anentered birth date, or separately entered, may be matched with similarpsychic service representative information before the call is initiated.

Identification of service representatives at step 325 then may be assimple as selecting the next available service representative from anavailability queue and associating the selected service representativewith a caller. In a dual service representative call (twin service), thenext two available service representatives are selected from theavailability queue for a call, and so on. Service representativeselection can be more complicated when, for example, a pair of psychictwins is required to be identified and selected. Other criteria forselecting a service representative can include gender, sign of theZodiac and other preference data. In all such criteria selection andmatching of preferences, step 325 is crucial for obtaining the bestservice for a particular caller. A trade-off is that there may not be asmany available service representatives having desired criteria, so thata delay in arranging a call may be lengthened or impossible toaccomplish at a particular time. Announcement 310 may be adaptively usedfor describing for the caller the real choices that the caller is ableto make at a particular time under control of controller 110. The callermay be offered additional choices within the same network, or throughprior arrangement with another psychic counseling network service, thecaller may be transferred to an available psychic representativeassociated with another psychic network service for receiving service.

Once the service representative goes off-hook, the caller is billed forthe call. Consequently, at step 335, all caller and servicerepresentative data is logged in along with time of day and date forcalculating call duration in minutes and for billing, and servicerepresentative compensation data logging. More specifically, a caller isbilled for the duration of time beginning when the first servicerepresentative goes off-hook or begins an Internet telephony sessionuntil the last service representative goes on-hook or terminates theInternet telephony session. Individual time logs are maintained for thecaller (call duration) and each service representative (serviceduration). For example, when the first service representative hangs up,the system will update the database with the first servicerepresentative's connect time, time of day and the date. When the secondor final service representative hangs up, the caller is billed for thetotal call time and the second service representatives connect time,time of day and date are logged accordingly.

Once the conferees (including the caller) have completed a call, step340 is entered. On-hook conditions and the time-of-day are registered bycontroller 110 so that the duration of the call can be calculated. Eachof the service representatives are returned to their respectiveavailability queues until they choose to log off by following a log-offprocess that is complimentary to the log-in process of FIG. 2, or becomeunavailable by accepting a service call. Once a service representativelogs in, controller 110 anticipates that the next call to the servicebureau is a log-off call and will provide an appropriate sequence ofannouncements and obtain responses for logging off. The time of day maybe recorded to determine how long the service representative has been onthe job.

When the counseling service is provided for a fee, it is anticipatedaccording to the principles of the present invention that callers may beoffered a variety of ways to pay for the services offered. Some methodsof payment, such as debit cards, bank checks or drafts, smartcards,electronic wallets (e-wallets), and major credit cards, are morecreditworthy than other methods of payment. Other forms of paymentcontemplated by the present invention include billing to a telephonenumber, a cable television account number, a utility service account, oran Internet service provider (ISP) account number. A caller enters apreferred form of payment in response to a request via ARU unit 135. Acaller may receive preauthorization using these credit arrangements inreal time, even prior to the counseling service and, consequently, mayrealize a discount according to the present invention, which can inducethe caller to use a method of payment that is preferred by the servicevendor. Payment method and billing arrangements are typically agreedupon after the call limiting, call blocking and fraud control featurespreviously described, and may be agreed upon in advance of the call orprior to conclusion of the call. Preferably, such arrangements areagreed upon automatically by using message unit 135 and data input 120,as described above, when modem 140 is used for obtaining the paymentauthorization from a bank or credit agency.

FIG. 4 shows a flow diagram for a real-time billing system forcircuit-switched and packet-switched calls in accordance with theprinciples of the present invention. At block 401, the initial fraudcontrol are activated, which can include verifying whether the caller iscalling from a location that matches the originating telephone number ofthe call, limiting the number and duration of calls made during acertain time period and/or limiting the amount of money a caller spendson service representative calls in a predetermined time period.

When a call is received from a circuit-switched telecommunicationsnetwork, the system prompts the caller at block 401 to enter thecaller's telephone number to verify that the caller is calling from alocation that matches the telephone number from a displayed ANI. Whenthe entered telephone number does not match the number forwarded by theANI, the caller may be disconnected or the caller may be given anotherchance to reenter the correct telephone number. When the call isreceived from a packet-switched network, the initial fraud control ofblock 401 verifies that the caller is calling from an Internet addressthat matches the Internet address contained in the packetized telephonydata received with the call. The caller is similarly prompted to enterthe caller's Internet address or a unique identification associated withthe caller and/or terminal equipment. When the entered Internet address(unique identification) and the Internet address (unique identification)forwarded in the packetized telephony data do not match, the caller maybe disconnected or the caller may be given another chance to reenter thecorrect Internet address or unique identification.

When the originating telephone number or Internet address (uniqueidentification) entered by the caller is verified to match the ANI orInternet address (unique identification) forwarded with the call, theinitial fraud control of block 401 verifies that the caller's telephonenumber or Internet address (unique identification) is not stored in anegative database of known bad telephone numbers and/or Internetaddresses (unique identifications). The negative database can be locatedlocally in memory 115 or located remotely and accessed via a modem orover the Internet. Telephone numbers and/or Internet addresses (uniqueidentifications) stored in the negative database result frominsufficient payment of a telephone bill or a credit card charge, or acaller's refusal of payment relating to a disputed charge from aprevious service representative call. The present invention, however, isnot limited by the above-mentioned negative database satisfying thecriteria mentioned above (storing telephone numbers and/or Internetaddresses (unique identifications) having disputed charges orinsufficient payments with respect to a service representative call).The negative database used at this stage of the initial fraud control ofthe present invention may be a shared database that stores telephonenumbers and/or Internet addresses (unique identifications) of callerswho have credit problems with other types of telephone and/orInternet-based ordering/payment systems.

The present system also checks to ensure that calls are not made fromlocations in which the telephone number and/or an originating Internetaddress (unique identification) cannot be forwarded to, for example, aCaller ID or other device that displays and/or records the telephonenumber or Internet address (unique identification) of the incoming call.In particular, certain parts of the United States cannot read ANIs andcalls originating from telephone numbers located in these areas aredetected by the initial fraud control of block 401. The presentinvention is also capable of detecting calls from particularinstitutions and communication devices, such as cellular telephones,particular area codes, particular central offices in an area code (i.e.,the first three numbers of a seven number telephone number), numbersassociated with a PBX system, governmental facilities, pay telephones,prisons, hospitals, schools, selected commercial establishments, etc.

The above-described initial fraud controls are illustrative examples.Other fraud controls will be apparent to those skilled in the art, thusthe invention is not limited to the fraud controls described above. Ingeneral, the system can be designed to prevent any unwanted telephonenumber and/or computer network address from entering the system.

When the originating telephone number or Internet address (uniqueidentification) entered by the caller is verified to match the ANI orInternet address (unique identification) forwarded with the call and theoriginating telephone number or Internet address (unique identification)is not contained in the negative database, the initial fraud control ofblock 401 checks that the caller has not exceed a permissible number orduration of calls the caller has made during a predetermined period oftime, or an amount of money the caller has spent during a predeterminedperiod of time by querying a database. For example, a caller may belimited to only two calls per day or two calls per week, and the toduration of calls may be limited so that a caller is allowed to speakwith service representatives for a maximum of, for example, 100 minutesper month. The amount of money that a caller can spend can be limitedto, for example, an expenditure of $100 per month. The databasecontaining this type of information can be part of or separate from thenegative database, and can be a shared database.

Calls that fail the initial fraud control of block 401 are forwarded toblock 410 where the call is processed to determine what the next courseof action will be. According to the invention, calls can be blocked,temporarily blocked or limited. Blocked calls are permanently prohibitedfrom connection with a service representative. A message may be playedfor a blocked call that advises the caller to stop calling because thecalling number or Internet address has been blocked. Examples ofpotentially blocked calls include calls from telephone numbers locatedin a negative database, calls from localities where an ANI cannot beforwarded, calls from a particular area code, or calls from a particularcentral office in a particular area code (i.e., the first three numbersof a seven number telephone number). Similarly, Internet telephony callsoriginating from Internet addresses (unique identification) that are notproperly forwarded with packetized telephony data can be blocked calls.

A limited call prohibits a caller who has exceeded an allotted number ofcalls, an allotted duration (in minutes, hour or days) of calls, anallotted time slot, or an allotted expenditure amount during a certainperiod of time from being connected to a service representative. Thelimitations placed on a given caller may be removed once the caller hassatisfied criteria for removing the limitation. A temporarily blockedcalls can include a call in which a telephone number requested by aservice representative does not match an ANI number displayed orreceived packetized telephony data. The caller may be able to reenterthe correct telephone number or Internet address (uniqueidentification), or may be allowed to call again for correctly enteringthe caller's telephone number or Internet address (uniqueidentification). Therefore, the caller is temporarily blocked from beingconnected to a service representative. When any of the call limiting,call blocking, or temporarily call blocking features is activated, thecall is disconnected.

When the call successfully passes the initial fraud control of block401, the call then advances to block 402 where the form of payment thatwill be used to pay for the call to a service representative issolicited. The caller is prompted by, for example, a computer-activatedvoice or by an operator (a non-service representative), to indicate theform of payment information the caller wishes to use. The form ofpayment can be cash, debit cards, check or electronic draft, electronicfunds transfer, credit, major credit card, electronic wallet and thelike. For this particular embodiment of the invention, the preferredform of payment involves credit cards, debit cards and the like.

Alternatively, in situations when the caller has previously called intothe service, the form of payment information can be automaticallyaccessed from a form-of-payment/credit database in a well-known mannerbased on the ANI and/or other information that has been provided by thecaller. Preferably, the form-of-payment/credit database is storedlocally, but can also be remotely located. The previously-used form ofpayment information stored in the form-of-payment/credit database ispresented to the caller in a well-known manner as a possible selectionby the caller for payment of the current call.

The operator or computer-activated voice may offer the caller a discountwhen the form of payment selected by the caller is convenient for thebilling system. A further discount may be given when the caller is afrequent caller who has not exceeded the caller's allowance forprescribed calls or expenditure amount. Of course, any other form ofpreferential treatment may also be initiated. In the exemplaryembodiment described in FIG. 4, the caller provides the form of paymentinformation to the operator or inputs this information via a telephonekeypad or keyboard. The caller can be requested to enter or supplyinformation such as credit card or debit card numbers, the cardexpiration date, address including zip code, billing address, date ofbirth, driver's license number, etc. When the form of payment is notsuccessfully communicated to the operator or successfully entered by thecaller via the telephone keypad or keyboard, the call is disconnected.Alternatively, the caller may be temporarily blocked and/or givenanother chance for entering the correct information. The caller may alsobe completely blocked from calling the system again.

When the information is successfully communicated or entered, flowcontinues to block 404 where additional fraud control is implemented.Such additional fraud control may, for example, include comparinginformation given by the caller against information stored in a databaseof information related to each respective caller, and/or verifying thatthe caller's credit card or debit card number has not been in a negativedatabase for delinquent payment. The information stored in this databasecan be part of or separate from the negative database of calloriginating telephone numbers and/or Internet addresses (uniqueidentifications), and can be a shared database.

The information entered or communicated by the caller is also used fordetermining whether the caller has not exceed a permissible number orduration of calls the caller has made during a predetermined period oftime, or an amount of money the caller has spent during a predeterminedperiod of time by querying a database. The queried database may be thesame database used in step 401 for determining whether the caller hasexceeded any of the same criteria.

When a call fails the additional fraud control of block 404, the call isforwarded to block 410 where the call can be selectively blocked,temporarily blocked, or limited. A blocked call includes a call in whicha credit card or debit card has expired or is invalid. A limited callincludes a call in which a credit card or a debit card exceeds themonthly/weekly allocations of calls or exceeds the time allowance for acertain period of time. A temporarily blocked call includes a call inwhich the zip code or other information supplied by the caller does notmatch the appropriate information stored in a database and a call thatis received outside of an allowed time slot for the caller. Moreover,the system can be designed so that calls classified as blocked calls canalso be classified as temporarily blocked calls when the system allows acaller to supply information, such as the correct expiration date of acharge card. When the caller is allowed to make payment to a lendinginstitution in order to validate the credit or debit card, a call can beclassified as temporarily blocked.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the callpasses the additional fraud control, the credit card account informationor the debit card account information is forwarded at block 405 to aremote site for authorization. Remote sites used for authorization may,for example, include a credit bureau, a banking institution, athird-party biller, or the like. The remote site checks to ensure thatthe credit card or debit card is valid. When the card is valid, apredetermined amount of money is charged against the credit or debitcard account at block 406. According to another embodiment of thepresent invention, when the call passes the additional fraud control,the credit card account information or the debit card accountinformation is forwarded to a local database to ensure that the creditcard or debit card is valid. When the card is valid, a predeterminedamount of money is charged against the credit or debit card account atblock 406.

The predetermined amount of money charged against the credit account canbe performed in several ways. For example, a portion of the caller'savailable line of credit for the account equal to the predeterminedamount can be authorized or set aside for the purpose of making thecall. Alternatively, the account may be debited by the predeterminedamount. In any event, the predetermined amount of money charged to theaccount is preferably greater than the probable charge for the telephonecall for insuring that the charges incurred during the call will bepaid. When the predetermined charge to the account is approved ordenied, the remote site sends an approval or denial notification back tothe system at block 406. When the remote site authorizes the call, thecall is forwarded to a service representative, such as a psychiccounselor. When the call is not authorized, the call is either blockedor temporarily blocked until information regarding the credit bureau orthe banking institution is settled by the caller.

At block 407, the call is redirected to a service representative and, atthis point, the billing processes begin, as shown in block 408. The callis billed from the time the call is redirected to one or more servicerepresentatives and to the time when the last service representativehangs up. The caller is billed in real time for only the actual minutesthat the caller is connected to a service representative.

When the call is terminated, the system calculates the total billableamount for the call. The system then sends the billable amount to theremote site at block 410. The system can also send the credit card ordebit card account information or some other identifying informationalong with the billable amount to the remote site. The remote site thenreverses the previous charge of the predetermined amount to the accountand a new charge for the actual billable amount of the call is chargedto the account at block 408.

This reverse authorization routine can be performed in several ways andthe invention is not limited to the following examples. First, theinitial authorization to set aside the predetermined amount of availablecredit is reversed, thereby returning the amount that was set aside tothe available credit line. A second authorization is then performedwherein a portion of the available credit line that is equal to theactual cost of the call is set aside. In another embodiment of theinvention, the account may receive a credit in the amount of thepredetermined amount to negate the initial charge of the predeterminedamount. A new charge in the amount of the actual cost of the call isthen made to the credit card account. Alternatively, the account mayjust receive a credit in the amount of the difference of thepredetermined amount initially set aside minus the actual billableamount of the call. Furthermore, when the caller is not connected to aservice representative and the billing has not begun before the call isterminated, the caller is not charged for the call and the initialcharge is completely reversed. When the credit account informationrelates to a checking account or an electronic funds transfer, thereverse authorization feature of the present invention is, of course,not used.

The present invention is adaptable for providing video conferencingservices to callers equipped with video cameras. Moreover, the servicerepresentatives may not necessarily need to depend on central controller110 for database maintenance services regarding caller and servicerepresentative data. Such data may be maintained and updated withinpersonal computers at the service representative's premises. Othermodifications and enhancements to the present invention may beadaptively made for providing other services than that described, suchas medical counseling, suicide hot-line and other services.

The present invention also provides for a call-out feature in whichselected callers are called by the system in a well-known manner. Oncethe call has been connected to the caller, message unit 135 plays anannouncement for the call recipient offering services and/or goods thatcan be accepted. If the offer of services and/or goods is accepted bythe call recipient, message unit 135 provides audio prompts querying thecall recipient for a form of payment. Accordingly, a previously-usedform of payment can be accessed from a form-of-payment/credit databasefor providing a possible selection by the call recipient. The fraudcontrol features of the present invention can optionally be used inconjunction with the querying for the form of payment Accessing theform-of-payment database When the form of payment is selected, the fraudcontrols relating to the form of payment provided by the presentinvention are then initiated before the services and/or goods aredelivered.

The present invention is also applicable for any value-addedtelecommunication service, such as a chatroom, a talk line or a payinformation service. The steps involved are generally the same as shownin FIG. 4, except that at block 407, the call is redirected to thevalue-added service.

FIG. 5 shows a schematic block diagram of a system 500 for billing acommunication session conducted over a packetized digital data computernetwork 501, such as the Internet, according to the present invention.Network 501 can also be a light-based telecommunications network. InFIG. 5, a plurality of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 502 areconnected to the Internet 501 for providing access to the Internet 501and to resources connected to the Internet 501. Each of a plurality ofuser terminals 503 are connected to the Internet 501 through an ISP 502.Typically, a user terminal 503 uses an automatic dialing modem to createa circuit-switched data link to an ISP 502. Alternatively, a userterminal 503 can access an ISP 502 through a cable link or a high-speeddigital link. The ISP, in turn, creates a packet-switched data link to adesired address over the Internet 502 in a well-known manner. Aplurality of servers, which may comprise routers, are also connected tothe Internet 501 for providing access to web pages and other data in awell-known manner. Only three such servers 504, 505 and 506 are shown inFIG. 5 for clarity.

Server 504 is connected to a computer system 507 that is used forproviding a service representative-based service, for example, a psychiccounseling network service. Other computer systems (not shown) can alsobe connected to server 504. Preferably, though, computer system 507 isthe only computer system connected to the Internet 501 through a server504 so that users requesting service receive an optimum level ofperformance. A plurality of service representative terminals 508 can beconnected locally to computer system 507 so that service representativescan interface with users for counseling communication sessions from acentrally-located place. Additionally or in the alternative, a servicerepresentative can be located remotely from computer system 507 througha link over the Internet 501. For example, user terminals 503 a and 503b can be operated by service representatives that are associated withthe representative-based service provided through computer system 507 ina manner that appears to be transparent to users requesting service.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart for actuating and entering a servicerepresentative into a service representative availability queue using acommunication session over a computer network according to the presentinvention. Such a communication session can be a data-only session or amultimedia session that includes any combination of audio, video anddata. At step 600, a service representative contacts the service bureauat computer system 507 over the Internet 501 for indicating anavailability for providing service. At step 610, the servicerepresentative receives a log-on page requesting, for example, theservice representative to identify certain choices and preferences forrecording in memory of system 507 that are similar to the choicespresented in connection with the logging in sequence of FIG. 2.Preferences may be predetermined or entered for the first time, such asthe name and address of the service representative, billing rate, Zodiacbirth sign and/or other information. Typically, at this time, a time ofday and date is recorded in the memory of system 507 logging the timeand date the service representative has offered to begin servicingusers. When the service representative is directly connected to computersystem 507, the service representative need only to initiate a log-onprocedure, as opposed to logging into an ISP and initiating acommunication session with system 507.

Flow continues to step 620 where the service representative enters apreference selection and sends the preference selection information tosystem 507. Steps 610 and 620 are repeated until log-in is complete.Once the responses to the queries of step 610 are registered, system 507may provide a validity check for the entered data, and provide anaudible and/or visual feedback for selections. System 507 may then sendadditional log-in query pages, such as whether the servicerepresentative desires to work with one or more conferees. Feedbackconfirmation that the choices have been accepted by system 507 may beprovided in addition to error algorithms provided for correctingerroneous choices made by a service representative, as necessary.

In the log-in process of FIG. 6, the various query pages and responsesof steps 610 and 620 can be varied depending on the desired service thatis to be performed. Moreover, the result may vary. In one scenario,there may be an availability queue of available service representativeswilling to confer with a user individually, with other conferees or in achatroom-type of setting. In other words, the service representative maybe willing to accept any request for services. In other embodiments,there may be availability queues formed in the memory of system 507 forindividual service representative communication session, dual or twinscommunication sessions, triplets or three service representativecommunication sessions, and so on. There may be a combination of suchqueues depending on the embodiment. Consequently, in its simplestembodiment, the present invention involves the service representativelogging in to a dual service representative availability queue such thaton receiving a request for a communication session at a special dualservice representative website or web page, the next two servicerepresentatives that are presently available in the dual servicerepresentative availability queue are automatically connected to theuser.

The result of the log-in process is shown as step 630, that is, theservice representative is entered into the memory of system 507 in oneor more service representative availability queues as a memory table. Ofcourse, when a service representative accepts a communication sessionand is connected with a user, and perhaps one or more other servicerepresentative conferees, the appropriate availability table in thememory of system 507 records a “busy” status for the servicerepresentative. Moreover, the service representative has signaled andrecorded their preferences for the type of communication session thatthe service representative is willing to accept (for example,individually, with one or more service representative conferees or in achatroom-type environment) and certain other preferences, for example,their own Zodiac sign, the day, month, year of birth, gender or otherinformation that is useful for arranging a communication session. Someor all of this information depending on the service offered may bepreserved in the memory of system 507. Over time, information such asthe number, type, user identities, user preferences and the like ofcommunication sessions accepted by each respective servicerepresentative may be recorded and associated with the servicerepresentative for assisting in providing better user service, and forproviding salary or other compensation to the service representatives.

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart for processing a service representativecommunication session, whether a data-only session or a multimediasession, according to the present invention. Such a communicationsession can be a data-only session or a multimedia session that includesany combination of audio, video and data. At step 705, a potential userof the service bureau provided at computer system 507 accesses a log-inpage at the service bureau web address. A second web address or seriesof web pages may be separately provided for accessing a twins service.In such an instance, the user may be immediately passed to step 720 andthe input data registered including, but not limited to, the Internetaddress of the user, the physical address and billing information of theuser.

According to the present invention, communication session limiting,session blocking and fraud control checking is performed automaticallyat step 710. For example, arbitrary communication session limitingcriteria may be established, such as a predetermined number of sessionsper day, a predetermined amount of session minutes per day, week ormonth, a predetermined time period or time slot, such as between 8:00a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and/or an amount of money spent by a user during apredetermined period of time for communication session services forprotecting user against excess usage and billing. A user is queried in adatabase for determining how frequently, whether there is a time slotconstraint for the user, and, for each session, how long the user hasbeen connected for determining whether any individual or combination ofsession limiting criteria have been exceeded. When any session limitingcriteria has been exceeded, the user may receive a message thanking theuser for past sessions, but possibly blocking or limiting the durationof the present session.

Regarding session blocking based on input data and certain negativedatabases, the Internet address initiating the session, the firstseveral digits of the address or apartment number and/or the zip code ofthe user that have been entered by the user may be matched against theInternet address (obtained via packetized data when the session isinitiated) and/or credit card data so that a security breach ispre-identified. The comparison of the user-entered first several digitsof a street address or apartment number, and/or zip code against creditcard data downloaded or prestored from a credit agency or a bank is anaddress verification system (AVS). The user may be queried to explainany discrepancy and/or the session is blocked. The Internet address (orother unique address) from where the session is initiated (obtained viapacketized data) can be checked against the Internet address (or uniqueaddress) entered by the user and against Internet address and telephonenegative databases identifying pay phones, prisons, schools, selectedcommercial establishments, and other institutions or locations ofterminals and/or telephones from where communication sessions may beblocked.

If the session is a multimedia session involving voice communications, avoiceprint of the user's voice may be recorded by system 507 forcomparison against a voiceprint database for insuring the validity ofthe identity of the user. The user's name may be input and comparedagainst a card-holder or account name as a security check. Additionally,a fingerprint image and/or a portrait image can be used for insuring thevalidity of the identity of the caller. At least, via AVS, the addressof the user, entered through a keyboard, can be matched against theaddress of the cardholder or on an account that is pre-stored anddownloaded from a credit agency or a bank 511. In an alternativeembodiment, a non-service representative may assist, supplement orreplace an automated system in regard to session limiting, sessionblocking, fraud control, collecting form of payment information andobtaining payment authorization.

At step 725, the user is identified to be served by at least one servicerepresentative and at step 730 immediately connected to an identifiedservice representative listed in the availability queue of service forthe type of service requested by the user, such as an individual servicerepresentative consultation, a consultation with a plurality of servicerepresentatives, a chatroom environment, etc. Once session blocking,session limiting and fraud control criteria have not been exceeded, auser is immediately connected and served by at least one servicerepresentative listed in the service representative availability queue.

In a further embodiment of the present invention, steps 710 and 715 arerepeatedly performed until the user logs in a manner that is similar tothe way the service representative logs in using a communicationsession, as per FIG. 6. For example, at step 710, a welcome announcementto the psychic network service is sent to the user. When the servicerepresentative queue is relatively full, the announcement may indicatethat the user session is important and connection to a servicerepresentative be momentarily delayed. Based on a calculated averagesession durations and other queuing theory calculations, system 507 maysend a message indicating an expected waiting time for the user and, inthe meanwhile, will begin to record certain other service and servicerepresentative preference information. For example, as with thetelephony-based embodiment of the present invention of FIGS. 1-4, a usermay enter the month, day and year of birth, their gender and servicepreference (such as one or more service representative conferees, or achatroom environment).

As steps 710 and 715 are repeated, system 507 may query a database fordetermining billing arrangements, among other things, such as whetherthe user has used the service before, how the user has paid in the past,what preferences and data was accumulated at that time, and bring suchdata that is useful for the session to active memory.

Once the communication session has been accepted and the user has loggedin, of course, the user's input data is registered into the memory ofsystem 507 at step 720. The registered data may include, among otherthings, the user's name, address, zip code, telephone number, creditcard type and number, bank name and account number and billing data,service preference, and data that may be used for matching the user withservice representative data. For example, the user's sign of the Zodiac,determined from an entered birth date or entered separately may bematched with similar psychic service representative information beforethe session is initiated.

When the service representative queue is relatively full and/or when auser must wait to connect to a particular service representative, system507 can send pages of information to the user that have been customizedfor the user or may be of interest to the user. For example, while auser is waiting, horoscope information or an astrological chart(personalized for the user based on data input by the user) can be sentto the user for the user's information and entertainment. Anotherexample is to send marketing information, such as a informationregarding products and/or services available from the service bureau, tothe user so that the user is entertained while waiting for a servicerepresentative.

Identification of service representatives step 725 then may be as simpleas selecting the next available service representative in anavailability queue and associating the selected service representativewith a user. In a dual service representative session (twin service),the next two available service representatives are selected from theavailability queue for a session, and so on. Service representativeselection can be more complicated when a pair of psychic twins isrequired to be identified and selected. Other criteria can includegender, sign of the Zodiac and other preference data. In all suchcriteria selection and matching of preferences, step 725 is crucial forobtaining the best service for a particular user. A trade-off is thatthere may not be as many available service representatives havingdesired criteria, so that a delay in arranging a session may belengthened or impossible to accomplish at a given time. The announcementmessage of step 710 may be adaptively used for describing for the userthe real choices the user is able to make at a particular time. The usermay be offered additional choices within the same network, or throughprior arrangement with another psychic counseling network service, theuser may be transferred to an available psychic representativeassociated with another psychic network service for receiving service.Further, system 507 can, as previously mentioned, send pages ofinformation to the user that have been personalized for the user or maybe of interest to the user, such as horoscope, astrological and/orinformation regarding other products and services that are available.When the selected service representative(s) is (are) available, system507 connects the user to the service representative(s).

Once all of the selected service representatives are connected to thesession, the user is billed for the session. Consequently, at step 735,all user and service representative data is transmitted to system 507and logged in along with time of day and date for calculating sessionduration in minutes and for billing, and service representativecompensation data logging. Specifically, a user is billed for theduration of time beginning when the first service representative goes isconnected to the session until the last service representativeterminates the session. Individual time logs are maintained for the user(session duration) and each service representative (service duration).For example, when each service representative disconnects or terminatesfrom the session, the respective service representative's terminalstransmit the service representative's connect time, disconnect time,time of day and date to system 507. In the situation when a userconnects to a chatroom environment, the user is billed for the durationof time when the user first connects to the chatroom until the time theuser disconnects from the chatroom.

Once the conferees (including the users) have completed a session, step740 is entered and a total time for the communication session isdetermined for billing the user accordingly. Each of the servicerepresentatives are returned to their respective availability queuesuntil they choose to log off by following a log-off process that iscomplimentary to the log-in process of FIG. 6, or become unavailable byaccepting a service session. Once a service representative logs in,system 507 anticipates that the next communication session to theservice bureau from the service representative is a log-off session andwill provide an appropriate sequence of announcements and obtainresponses for logging off. The time of day may be recorded fordetermining how long the service representative has been on the job.

When the counseling service is provided for a fee, it is anticipatedaccording to the present invention that users will be offered a varietyof ways to pay for the services offered. Some methods of payment, suchas debit cards, bank checks or drafts, smartcards, electronic wallets,and major credit cards are more creditworthy than other methods ofpayment. Other forms of payment contemplated by the present inventioninclude billing to a telephone number, a cable television accountnumber, a utility service account, or an Internet service provider (ISP)account number. A user enters a preferred form of payment in response toa query from system 507. A user may receive preauthorization using thesecredit arrangements in real time, even prior to the counseling serviceand, consequently, may realize a discount according to the presentinvention that can induce the user to use a method of payment that ispreferred by the service vendor. Payment method and billing arrangementsare typically agreed upon after the session limiting, session blockingand fraud control features previously described, and may be agreed uponin advance of the session or prior to conclusion of the session.

FIG. 8 shows a flow diagram for a real-time billing system for billing acommunication session occurring over a computer network according to thepresent invention. Such a communication session can be a data-onlysession or a multimedia session that includes any combination of audio,video and data. At block 801, the initial fraud control are activated,which can include verifying whether the user is requesting acommunication session from a location that matches the originatingInternet address and/or a unique identification requesting the session,limiting the number and duration of sessions made during a certain timeperiod and/or limiting the amount of money a user spends on servicerepresentative communication sessions in a predetermined time period.

When a request for a session is received from a user, the system promptsthe user at block 801 to enter the user's Internet address or a uniqueidentification to verify that the user is requesting a session from alocation that matches the user's Internet address or uniqueidentification associated with the user and/or terminal equipmentreceived with the request for a session. When the entered Internetaddress or unique identification, and the Internet address or uniqueidentification forwarded in the packetized data do not match, the usermay be disconnected or the user may be given another chance to reenterthe correct Internet address or unique identification.

When the originating Internet address or unique identification enteredby the user is verified to match the Internet address or uniqueidentification forwarded with the request, the initial fraud control ofblock 801 verifies that the user's Internet address or uniqueidentification is not stored in a negative database of known badInternet addresses and/or unique identifications. The negative databasecan be located in the memory of system 507, and/or remotely located at509 and accessed over the Internet 501 through server 505. Internetaddresses and/or unique identifications stored in the negative databaseresult from insufficient payment of a credit card charge, or a user'srefusal of payment relating to a disputed charge from a previous servicerepresentative communication session. The present invention, however, isnot limited by the above-mentioned negative database satisfying thecriteria mentioned above (storing Internet addresses and/or uniqueidentifications having disputed charges or insufficient payments withrespect to a service representative session). The negative database usedat this stage of the initial fraud control of the present invention maybe a shared database that stores Internet addresses and/or uniqueidentifications of users who have credit problems with other types ofInternet-based ordering/payment systems.

System 507 also checks to ensure that sessions are not initiated fromlocations in which an Internet address or a unique identification cannotbe forwarded. System 507 is also capable of detecting a communicationsession initiated from particular institutions and communicationdevices, such as cellular telephones, numbers associated with a PBXsystem, governmental facilities, pay telephones, prisons, hospitals,schools, selected commercial establishments, etc.

The above-described initial fraud controls are illustrative examples.Other fraud controls will be apparent to those skilled in the art, thusthe invention is not limited to the fraud controls described above. Ingeneral, the system can be designed to prevent any unwanted Internetaddress and/or unique identification from entering the system.

When the originating Internet address or unique identification enteredby the user is verified to match the Internet address or uniqueidentification forwarded with the session request, and the originatingInternet address or unique identification is not contained in thenegative database, the initial fraud control of block 801 checks thatthe user has not exceed a permissible number or duration of sessions theuser has made during a predetermined period of time, or an amount ofmoney the user has spent during a predetermined period of time byquerying a database. For example, a user may be limited to only twosessions per day or two sessions per week, and the duration of sessionsmay be limited so that a user is allowed to communicate with servicerepresentatives for a maximum of, for example, 100 minutes per month.The amount of money that a user can spend can be limited to, forexample, an expenditure of $100 per month. The query can be based onidentification information associated with the user, such as theInternet address of the user, a unique identification of the user, adriver's license and/or social security number of the user, the user'smother's maiden name, a password and/or a digital certificate associatedwith the user. The database containing this type of information can bepart of or separate from the negative database, and can be a shareddatabase.

Sessions that fail the initial fraud control of block 801 are forwardedto block 810 where the session is processed to determine what the nextcourse of action will be. According to the invention, sessions can beblocked, temporarily blocked or limited. Blocked sessions arepermanently prohibited from connection with a service representative. Amessage may be sent to a user for a blocked session that advises theuser to stop requesting a session because the originating Internetaddress or unique identification has been blocked. Examples ofpotentially blocked sessions include sessions originating from Internetaddresses and/or unique identifications that are not properly forwardedwith packetized data.

A limited session prohibits a user who has exceeded an allotted numberof sessions, an allotted duration (in minutes, hour or days) of sessionsor an allotted expenditure amount during a certain period of time frombeing connected to a service representative. The limitations placed on agiven user may be removed once the user has satisfied criteria forremoving the limitation. A temporarily blocked session can include asession in which an Internet address or a unique identification does notmatch the received packetized data when the session is requested. Theuser may be able to reenter the correct Internet address or uniqueidentification, or may be allowed to request another session forcorrectly entering the user's Internet address, unique identification ofother user identification information. Therefore, the user istemporarily blocked from being connected to a service representative.When any of the session limiting, session blocking, or temporary sessionblocking features is activated, the request is terminated.

When the session successfully passes the initial fraud control of block801, the session then advances to block 802 where the form of paymentthat will be used to pay for the session to a service representative issolicited. At step 802, the user is prompted by, for example, a pagethat queries the user for the form of payment information the userwishes to use. The form of payment can be cash, debit cards, electronicdraft or check, electronic funds transfer, credit, major credit card,electronic wallet and the like. This embodiment of the invention,however, involves credit cards, debit cards and the like.

Alternatively, in situations when the user has previously accessed theservice, the form of payment information can be automatically accessedfrom a form-of-payment/credit database in a well-known manner based onthe user identification and/or other information that has been providedby the user or through other well-known techniques, such as a cookie.Preferably, the form-of-payment/credit database is stored locally, butcan also be remotely located. The previously-used form of paymentinformation stored in the form of payment/credit database is presentedto the user in a well-known manner as a possible selection by the userfor payment of the current session.

System 507 may offer the user a discount when the form of paymentselected by the user is convenient for the billing system. A furtherdiscount may be given when the user is a frequent user who has notexceeded the user's allowance for prescribed sessions. Any other form ofpreferable treatment may also be initiated. In the exemplary embodimentdescribed in FIG. 8, the user provides the form of payment informationand sends the information to system 507 in a well-known manner. The usercan also be requested to enter or supply information, such as a checkingaccount number, credit card or debit card numbers, the card expirationdate, address including zip code, billing address, date of birth,driver's license number, social security number, a password, a digitalcertificate, mother's maiden name, etc. When the form of payment is notsuccessfully communicated to system 507 by the user, the session isdisconnected. Alternatively, the user may be temporarily blocked and/orgiven another chance for entering the correct information. The user mayalso be completely blocked from accessing system 507 again.

When the information is successfully communicated or entered, flowcontinues to block 804 where additional fraud control is implemented.Such additional fraud control may, for example, include comparinginformation given by the user against information stored in a databaseof information related to each respective user, and/or verifying thatthe user's credit card or debit card number has not been in a negativedatabase for delinquent payment. The information stored in this databasecan be part of or separate from the negative database of calloriginating. Internet addresses and/or unique identifications, and canbe a shared database.

The information entered or communicated by the user is also used fordetermining whether the user has not exceeded a permissible number orduration of sessions the user has initiated during a predeterminedperiod of time, or an amount of money the user has spent during apredetermined period of time by querying a database. The querieddatabase may be the same database used in step 801 for determiningwhether the user has exceeded any of the same criteria.

When a session fails the additional fraud control of block 804, thesession is forwarded to block 810 where the session can be selectivelyblocked, temporarily blocked, or limited. A blocked session includes asession in which a credit card or debit card has expired or is invalid,and/or an address associated with the user, such as a billing addressand/or zip code, is different from an address in the database associatedwith the user. A limited session includes a session in which a creditcard or a debit card exceeds the monthly/weekly allocations of sessionor exceeds the time allowance for a certain period of time. Atemporarily blocked session includes a session in which the zip code orother information supplied by the user does not match the appropriateinformation stored in a database and a session that is requested outsideof an allowed time slot for the user. Moreover, the system can bedesigned so that sessions classified as blocked sessions can also beclassified as temporarily blocked sessions when the system allows a userto supply information, such as the correct expiration date of a chargecard. When the user is allowed to make payment to a lending institutionin order to validate the credit or debit card, a call can be classifiedas temporarily blocked.

According to one embodiment of the invention, when the session passesthe additional fraud control, the credit card account information or thedebit card account information is forwarded at block 805 to a remotelylocated site 511 for authorization. Site 511 can be accessed over theInternet through server 506. Alternatively, site 511 can be accessed viaa modem link 512. Remote sites used for authorization may, for example,include a credit bureau, a banking institution, a third party billersuch as a telephone service provider, a cable television serviceprovider, a utility service provider, or an Internet service provider,or the like. Remote site 511 checks to ensure that the credit card,debit card or account number is valid. In the situation of a creditcard, when the credit card is valid, a predetermined amount of money ischarged against the credit or debit card account at block 806. Accordingto another embodiment of the present invention, when the session passesthe additional fraud control, the credit card account information or thedebit card account information is forwarded to a local database toensure that the credit card or debit card is valid. When the card isvalid, a predetermined amount of money is charged against the credit ordebit card account at block 806.

The predetermined amount of money charged against the credit account canbe performed in several ways. For example, a portion of the user'savailable line of credit for the account equal to the predeterminedamount can be authorized or set aside for the purpose of completing thesession. Alternatively, the account may be debited by the predeterminedamount. In any event, the predetermined amount of money charged to theaccount is preferably greater than the probable charge for the telephonecall for insuring that the charges incurred during the call will bepaid. When the predetermined charge to the account is approved ordenied, remote site 511 sends an approval or denial notification back tosystem 507 at block 806. When remote site 511 authorizes the session,the session is forwarded to a service representative, such as a psychiccounselor. When the session is not authorized, the session is eitherblocked or temporarily blocked until information regarding, for example,the credit bureau, banking institution, telephone service account, cabletelevision account, a utility service account, or Internet serviceprovider account is settled by the user.

At block 807, the session is redirected to a service representative andat this point, the billing processes begin, as shown in block 808. Thesession is billed from the time the session is redirected and connectedto a service representative or the first of a plurality of servicerepresentatives and to when the last service representative terminatesor ends the session. The user is billed in real time for only the actualminutes that the user communicates with a service representative. Whenthe user is connected to a chatroom environment, the user is billed fromthe time that the user is connected to the chatroom until the time theuser disconnects from the chatroom.

When the session is terminated, system 507 calculates the total billableamount for the session. System 507 then sends the billable amount toremote site 511 at block 810. System 507 can also send the credit cardor debit card account information or some other identifying informationalong with the billable amount to remote site 511. Remote site 511 thenreverses the previous charge of the predetermined amount to the accountand a new charge for the actual billable amount of the session ischarged to the account at block 808. Alternatively, the billable amountis sent to a payment authorization database, which can be locally orremotely located.

As with the voice-based embodiment of the present invention, the reverseauthorization routine for the computer network-based embodiment of thepresent invention can be performed in several ways and the invention isnot limited to the following examples. First, the initial authorizationto set aside the predetermined amount of available credit is reversed,thereby returning the amount that was set aside to the available creditline. A second authorization is then performed wherein a portion of theavailable credit line that is equal to the actual cost of the session isset aside. In another embodiment of the invention, the account mayreceive a credit in the amount of the predetermined amount to negate theinitial charge of the predetermined amount. A new charge in the amountof the actual cost of the session is then made to the credit cardaccount. Alternatively, the account may just receive a credit in theamount of the difference of the predetermined amount initially set asideminus the actual billable amount of the session. Furthermore, when auser is not connected to a service representative and the billing hasnot begun before the session is terminated, the user is not charged forthe session and the initial charge is completely reversed. When thecredit account information relates to a checking account or anelectronic funds transfer, the reverse authorization feature of thepresent invention is, of course, not used.

As indicated, the present invention is adaptable for providingmultimedia-based conferencing services between users and servicerepresentatives that are appropriately equipped. Moreover, the servicerepresentatives may not necessarily need to depend on system 507 fordatabase maintenance services regarding user and service representativedata. Such data may be maintained and updated within personal computersat the service representative's premises.

The present invention is also applicable for any value-addedtelecommunication service or session, such as a chatroom environment, aprivate talk line or a pay information service. The steps involved aregenerally the same as shown in FIG. 8, except that at block 807, thesession is redirected to the value-added service.

The present invention also provides for a feature in which selectedusers are contacted by the system in a well-known manner, such as bye-mail, offering services and/or goods that can be accepted.Alternatively, a selected user can be contacted by way of a multimediatechnique in which particular services and/or goods are offered forpurchase. If the offer of services and/or goods is accepted by the user,the system provides audio prompts querying the user for a form ofpayment. Accordingly, a previously-used form of payment can be accessedfrom a form-of-payment/credit database and provided as a possibleselection by the user. The fraud control features of the presentinvention can optionally be used in conjunction with the querying forthe form of payment.

The fraud control of the present invention can also be used for otherforms of e-commerce over a computer network, such as the Internet. Goodsand/or other services can be made available for sale to potentialcustomers who access a website using a browser or by way ofcomputer-network telephony techniques. When a user accesses a websiteusing a browser, the ISP through which the user is connecting to thewebsite forwards the Internet address of the user to the accessedwebsite. That is, identification information uniquely-identifying theuser is available to the accessed website. Alternatively, a mechanismreferred to as a cookie can be used for transmitting information betweenthe accessed website and the user that is used for uniquely identifyingthe user.

A user can browse through different pages at the website and selectitems for purchase by, for example, placing the items into a virtualshopping cart. Once a user decides to buy the selected items, the userclicks on a purchase button. In response, system 507 enters the fraudcontrol process shown in FIG. 9 and queries the user for the informationnecessary for avoiding fraud. FIG. 9 shows a flow diagram for areal-time billing system for effecting a sale over a computer networkaccording to the present invention. According to the invention, theentire flow diagram or selected aspects of the embodiment shown by FIG.9 can be used.

For an e-commerce embodiment of the present invention, the initial fraudcontrol activated at block 901 can include verifying whether the user ispurchasing a good and/or service from a location that matches theoriginating Internet address and/or has a unique identification, and/orlimiting a sale amount that can be purchased during a certain timeperiod. When a purchase request is received from a user, the systemprompts the user at block 901 to enter the user's Internet address or aunique identification to verify that the user is making a purchase froma location that matches the user's Internet address or uniqueidentification associated with the user and/or terminal equipmentreceived with the purchase request. When the entered Internet address orunique identification, and the Internet address or unique identificationforwarded in the packetized data do not match, the user may bedisconnected or the user may be given another chance to reenter thecorrect Internet address or unique identification. Alternatively, acookie can be used in a well-known manner for gathering specificinformation that can be used for uniquely identifying a user. In such asituation, the user is then prompted at block 901 to enter informationthat can be compared to information gathered by use of a cookie.

When the originating Internet address or unique identification enteredby the user is verified to match the Internet address or uniqueidentification forwarded with the request, the initial fraud control ofblock 901 also verifies that the user's Internet address or uniqueidentification is not stored in a negative database of known badInternet addresses and/or unique identifications. The negative databasecan be located in the memory of system 507, and/or remotely located at509 and accessed over the Internet 501 through server 505. Internetaddresses and/or unique identifications stored in the negative databaseresult from insufficient payment of a credit card charge, or a user'srefusal of payment relating to a disputed charge from a previouspurchase of a product and/or service. The present invention, however, isnot limited by the above-mentioned negative database satisfying thecriteria mentioned above (storing Internet addresses and/or uniqueidentifications having disputed charges or insufficient payments withrespect to the purchase of a product and/or service). The negativedatabase used at this stage of the initial fraud control of the presentinvention may be a shared database that stores Internet addresses and/orunique identifications of users who have credit problems with othertypes of Internet-based ordering/payment systems.

System 507 also checks to ensure that purchase requests are notinitiated from locations in which an Internet address or a uniqueidentification cannot be or is not forwarded. System 507 is also capableof detecting a communication session initiated from particularinstitutions and communication devices, such as cellular telephones,numbers associated with a PBX system, governmental facilities, paytelephones, prisons, hospitals, schools, selected commercialestablishments, etc.

The above-described initial fraud controls are illustrative examples.Other fraud controls will be apparent to those skilled in the art, thusthe invention is not limited to the fraud controls described above. Ingeneral, the system can be designed to prevent any unwanted Internetaddresses and/or unique identifications from making purchases.

When the originating Intern et address or unique identification enteredby the user is verified to match the Internet address or uniqueidentification forwarded with the purchase request, and the originatingInternet address or unique identification is not contained in thenegative database, the initial fraud control of block 901 checks thatthe user has not exceed a permissible amount of money the user has spentduring a predetermined period of time by querying a database. The amountof money that a user can spend can be limited to, for example, anexpenditure of $100 per month. The query can be based on identificationinformation associated with the user, such as the Internet address ofthe user, a unique identification of the user, a driver's license and/orsocial security number of the user, the user's mother's maiden name, apassword and/or a digital certificate associated with the user. Thedatabase containing this type of information can be part of or separatefrom the negative database, and can be a shared database.

Purchase requests that fail the initial fraud control of block 901 areforwarded to block 910 where the purchase request is processed todetermine what the next course of action will be. According to theinvention, purchases can be blocked, temporarily blocked or limited.Blocked purchases are permanently prohibited from completing a saletransaction. A message may be sent to a user for a blocked purchaserequest that advises the user to stop requesting a purchase because theoriginating Internet address or unique identification has been blocked.Examples of potentially blocked purchases include sessions originatingfrom Internet addresses and/or unique identifications that are notproperly forwarded with packetized data.

A limited purchase prohibits a user who has exceeded an allottedexpenditure amount during a certain period of time from making apurchase. The limitations placed on a given user may be removed once theuser has satisfied criteria for removing the limitation. A temporarilyblocked purchase request can include a purchase request in which anInternet address or a unique identification does not match the receivedpacketized data when the purchase is requested. The user may be able toreenter the correct Internet address or unique identification, or may beallowed to request another purchase for correctly entering the user'sInternet address, unique identification of other user identificationinformation. Therefore, the user is temporarily blocked from beingconnected from making a purchase. When any of the purchase requestlimiting, purchase request blocking, or temporary purchase requestblocking features is activated, the request is terminated.

When the purchase request successfully passes the initial fraud controlof block 901, the purchase request then advances to block 902 where theform of payment that will be used to pay for the purchase is solicited.At step 902, the user is prompted by, for example, a page that queriesthe user for the form of payment information the user wishes to use. Theform of payment can be cash, debit cards, electronic draft or check,electronic funds transfer, credit, major credit card, smart card,electronic wallet, and the like, or applying the charge to a telephonebill, a cable television account, a utility service account, an Internetservice provider account, and the like.

System 507 may offer the user a discount when the form of paymentselected by the user is convenient for the billing system. A furtherdiscount may be given when the user is a frequent user who has notexceeded the user's allowance for prescribed purchases. Any other formof preferable treatment may also be initiated. In the exemplaryembodiment described in FIG. 9, the user provides the form of paymentinformation and sends the information to system 507 in a well-knownmanner. The user can also be requested to enter or supply information,such as a checking account number, a credit card or debit card numbers,a card expiration date, a telephone number, a cable television accountnumber, a utility service account number, an Internet service provideraccount number, an address including zip code, billing address, date ofbirth, driver's license number, social security number, a password, adigital certificate, mother's maiden name, etc. When the form of paymentis not successfully communicated to system 507 by the user, the purchaserequest is disconnected. Alternatively, the user may be temporarilyblocked and/or given another chance for entering the correctinformation. The user may also be completely blocked from accessingsystem 507 again.

When the information is successfully communicated or entered, flowcontinues to block 904 where additional fraud controls are implemented.Such additional fraud controls may, for example, include comparinginformation given by the user against information stored in a databaseof information related to each respective user, verifying that theuser's credit card or debit card number has not been in a negativedatabase for delinquent payment. The information stored in this databasecan be part of or separate from the negative database of communicationsession originating Internet addresses and/or unique identifications,and can be a shared database.

The information entered or communicated by the user is also used fordetermining whether the user has not exceeded a permissible amount ofmoney the user has spent during a predetermined period of time byquerying a database. The queried database may be the same database usedin step 901 for determining whether the user has exceeded any of thesame criteria.

When a purchase request fails the additional fraud control of block 904,the purchase request is forwarded to block 910 where the purchase can beselectively blocked, temporarily blocked, or limited. A blocked purchaserequest includes a purchase request in which a credit card or debit cardhas expired or is invalid, and/or an address associated with the user,such as a billing address and/or zip code, is different from an addressin the database associated with the user. A limited purchase requestincludes a purchase request in which a credit card or a debit cardexceeds the monthly/weekly allocations of session or exceeds the timeallowance for a certain period of time. A temporarily blocked purchaserequest includes a purchase request in which the zip code or otherinformation supplied by the user does not match the appropriateinformation stored in a database. Moreover, the system can be designedso that purchase requests classified as blocked can also be classifiedas temporarily blocked when the system allows a user to supplyinformation, such as the correct expiration date of a charge card. Whenthe user is allowed to make payment to a lending institution in order tovalidate the credit or debit card, a communication session can beclassified as temporarily blocked.

According to one embodiment of the invention, when the purchase requestpasses the additional fraud control, the credit card account informationor the debit card account information is forwarded at block 905 to aremotely located site 511 for authorization. Site 511 can be accessedover the Internet through server 506. Alternatively, site 511 can beaccessed via a modem link 512. Remote sites used for authorization may,for example, include a credit bureau, a banking institution, a thirdparty biller such as a telephone service provider, a cable televisionservice provider, a utility service provider, an Internet serviceprovider, or the like. Remote site 511 checks to ensure that the creditcard, debit card or account number is valid. According to anotherembodiment of the present invention, when the purchase request passesthe additional fraud control, the credit card account information or thedebit card account information is forwarded to a local database toensure that the credit card or debit card is valid.

When the predetermined charge to the account is approved or denied,remote site 511 sends an approval or denial notification back to system507 at block 906. When remote site 511 authorizes the purchase request,the purchase request is entered into system 507 at block 907. When thepurchase request is not authorized, the purchase request is eitherblocked or temporarily blocked until information regarding the creditbureau, banking institution, telephone service account, cable televisionaccount, a utility service account, or Internet service provider accountis settled by the user.

When the purchase request is entered into system 507, system 507calculates the total billable amount for the session. System 507 thensends the billable amount to remote site 511 at block 908. System 507can also send the credit card, debit card, telephone service account,cable television account, utility service account, or Internet serviceprovider account information or some other identifying information alongwith the billable amount to remote site 511. Remote site 511 thencharges the billable amount to the account and a new charge for theactual billable amount for the purchase is charged to the account atblock 908. Alternatively, the billable amount is sent to a paymentauthorization database, which can be locally or remotely located.

FIGS. 10 a-10 c show a flow diagram summarizing the real-time billingand fraud control system of the present invention. At step 1001, acustomer is connected to a service provider or a merchant providingtelephone or communication session services, and/or goods and servicesfor purchase by way of e-commerce. At step 1002, the customer is queriedfor personal information and a method of payment that will be used bythe customer. In situations when the customer has previously purchasedservices and/or goods, form of payment information can be automaticallyaccessed from a form-of-payment/credit database based on the ANI and/orother information that has been provided by the customer, and presentedto the customer for possible selection by the customer. At step 1003,the personal information of the customer and the method of paymentinformation that is to be used by the customer are actively and/orpassively captured. The personal information of the customer that iscaptured can include, the customer's telephone number, address, DLnumber, social security number, mother's maiden name, a PIN, a password,a digital certificate, a credit card number, a debit card number,banking information, a voiceprint, a fingerprint, a portrait imageand/or a computer network address.

At step 1004, the captured customer data is compared to informationcontained in one or more customer databases, such as any of an externalshared negative customer database 1005, an internal negative customerdatabase 1006, an external shared positive customer database 1007 and aninternal positive customer database 1008. At step 1009, it is determinedwhether the captured customer data matches information contained in apositive customer database or a negative customer database, or whetherthe captured customer data does not match information contained in anyof the databases accessed. If, at step 1009, the captured customer datamatches information contained in a positive customer database, flowcontinues to step 1010

If, at step 1009, the captured customer data matches informationcontained in a negative customer database, flow continues to step 1011where a service representative can intervene for making a finaldetermination regarding blocking or limiting purchases of the goodsand/or services available for purchase. When the service representativedecides to block a purchase based on the available information, flowcontinues to step 1012. When the service representative, based on theavailable information, decides to limit or temporarily limit a purchase,flow continues to step 1013, and then to step 1010. Alternatively, flowcan proceed to block purchases (step 1012) or limit purchases (step1013) based on information available at decision step 1009.

If, at step 1009, the captured customer information does not matchinformation contained in any of the databases that were accessed, flowcontinues to step 1014 where the captured information is verified atstep 1015 with independent sources by queries to at least one externaldatabase, such as an ANI database, a credit card agency database, acredit report bureau database, a banking institution, and a checkapproval service. Flow continues to step 1016, where it is determinedwhether the captured customer information was verified. If not, flowcontinues to step 1017 where a service representative can intervene formaking a final determination regarding blocking purchases of the goodsand/or services available for purchase. When the service representativedecides to block a purchase based on the available information, flowcontinues to step 1018 and to step 1019 where the captured informationis shared with negative customer databases, such as databases 1005 and1006. When the service representative decides to permit a purchase basedon the available information, flow continues to step 1010 where thecustomer information is compared to fraud control screening criteria andto establish a sale limit, and to step 1020 where the capturedinformation is shared with positive customer databases, such asdatabases 1007 and 1008. Alternatively, flow can proceed to blockpurchases (step 1018) based on information available at decision step1016.

At step 1010, the customer information is compared to fraud controlscreening criteria and a sale limit is established. Flow continues tostep 1021 where customer fraud screening criteria is accessed, such as abill-to address, a ship-to address, a purchase-frequency limit, apurchase-value limit, a call origin location, the customer age, andcustomer gender. At step 1022, it is determined whether the customerpassed the fraud control screening. If not, flow continues to step 1023where a service representative can intervene for making a finaldetermination regarding blocking purchases of the goods and/or servicesavailable for purchase. When the service representative decides to blocka purchase based on the available information, flow continues to step1024. Alternatively, flow can proceed to block purchases (step 1024)based on information available at decision step 1022.

If, at step 1022, the customer passes the fraud control screening, flowcontinues to step 1025 where a customer purchase value limit isestablished. Flow continues to step 1026 where the established purchasevalue limit is communicated to appropriate internal and externaldatabases, such as databases 1005-1008. Flow continues to step 1027where it is determined whether the customer purchase value has beenauthorized. If not, flow continues to step 1028 where a servicerepresentative can intervene for making a final determination regardingblocking purchases of the merchants goods and/or services. When theservice representative decides to block a purchase based on theavailable information, flow continues to step 1029. Alternatively, flowcan proceed to block purchases (step 1029) based on informationavailable at decision step 1027.

If the customer purchase value was authorized at step 1027, flowcontinues to step 1030 where the customer selects goods and/or serviceshaving a value that is less than or equal to the established limit forthe customer. Flow continues to step 1031 where the customer is billedby way of the customer-selected method of payment, such as an invoice,an electronic funds transfer or e-draft, a credit or debit cardtransaction, an Internet Service Provider, a telephone, a cable or otherutility account, or an e-wallet. The purchase value is transmitted toappropriate internal and external authorization and credit limit amountdatabases at step 1032 and the process is exited at step 1033.

Other modifications and enhancements to the present invention may beadaptively made for providing other services over a computer network,such as the Internet, than that described, such as computer serviceadvice, medical counseling, suicide hot-line and other services.

Any patents or publications referenced above should be deemed to beincorporated by reference as to their entire subject matter should onebelieve it relevant to obtain details from such sources for explanationsof related arrangements and how they may be employed to advantage in thepresent invention. The present invention should only be deemed to belimited in scope by the claims which follow.

1. A method of billing a communication session over a computer networkbetween a user and a value-added service, the method comprising thesteps of: receiving a request from a user for a communication sessionover a computer network between the user and a value-added service;requesting information associated with a credit account before the useris connected to the value-added service; receiving the informationassociated with a credit account; communicating credit accountinformation to a payment authorization database; receiving paymentauthorization information associated with the credit account from thepayment authorization database before the user is connected to thevalue-added service; connecting the user to the value-added service whenthe payment authorization information is affirmative; and transmittingsession charge information associated with the communication session tothe payment authorization database when the communication session isterminated, the session charge information including information forcharging the credit account an amount representing a charge for thecommunication session.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecredit account information includes the received information associatedwith the credit account and a predetermined amount that is to be chargedto the credit account.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein thecredit account information includes the received information associatedwith the credit account and a predetermined amount that is to be setaside in the credit account for the communication session.
 4. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising the step of calculating a totalcharge for the communication session when the communication session isterminated, the total charge being based on an actual time that the useris connected to the value-added service.